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Monday, June 21, 2010

Pakistan, Karachi Cost of Living April 2010

Country Full Name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Location: Pakistan is in Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north.

Country Terrain: Flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west.

Major Languages: English, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi.

Major Religions: Islam.

Country Population: 161 million (2008 est.) 163.8 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Pakistan is a semi-industrialized economy, which mainly encompasses textiles, chemicals, food processing, agriculture and other industries. The structure of the Pakistani economy has changed from a mainly agricultural base to a strong service base. Agriculture now only accounts for roughly 20% of the GDP, while the service sector accounts for 53% of the GDP.

Currency: Pakistan Rupee (PKR).

Country Inflation: 12.0% (2008 est.) 20.8% (2009 est.).

City: Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the financial capital of Pakistan.

City Economy: Karachi is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, and trade. Karachi is also home to Pakistan's largest corporations, including those that are involved in textiles, shipping, automotive industry, entertainment, the arts, fashion, advertising, publishing, software development and medical research.Cost of Living: Karachi has an overall cost of living index which equates it with low cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Karachi is currently ranked 273 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.